[lmm]

Disagree; agile results in better code. If you played go by placing stones whenever you wanted there would be no point taking a long time thinking before placing each; you’d be better off playing much faster. It’s not like you wait for your opponent’s turn after every commit.

[YAFZ]

Thank you for pointing out where my analogy breaks.

My point is not to denigrate any popular process or advanced technological tools. And I don't embrace big design up front for everything, especially when it makes it even more easier (and more expensive) to paint yourself into a corner. I wanted to draw attention to a simple fact: sometimes the medium of production is not necessarily the best medium for thinking about that production and being immersed in that medium can prevent you from realizing this, thanks to the human psychology that took hundreds of thousands of years.

[lmm]

I think you're wrong. The go example is about putting yourself under tension and there may be something to that. But my IDE is probably where I feel most comfortable at work; I certainly feel more relaxed there than in front of a whiteboard in a meeting room. And I'd bet I'm better at doing design there as a result.